A new technique allows the production of billions of stem cells. The newly created process might lead to the construction of stem cell factories, as claimed by researchers.
Heart attacks are usually responsible for the death of around 5 billion cells in the heart. It is possible that stem cells might be able to replace the dead heart cells in the cardiac tissue. This means that stem cells could be able to repair the damage caused by a heart attack. And this might tremendously benefit the patients who undergo these kinds of procedures.
Stem cells that are pluripotent can develop into any kind of cell, from bone and nerves to heart tissue. For a long time now, scientists have been working on an attempt to create a polymer able to serve as a layer on which to grow the very versatile cells.
The capacity to grow billions of cells easily and quickly might possibly lead to great advances in the restorative treatments for numerous injuries and conditions. Now, through the new process developed by the scientists it seems that stem cell factories are a reality.
Morgan Alexander from the University of Nottingham said that regenerative medicine is still being analyzed through the help of clinical trials. What is happening right now is paving the way to manufacture stem cells in huge numbers for the moment when those therapies are going to be proved to be effective and safe.
The new material developed by the scientists in the course of a $3.68 million research is free of contamination and variability. The new process reveals promise of it being scalable. This could potentially allow the development of stem cell based treatments both inexpensive and fast. Should the new technology be approved, it could be utilized to give treatments to patients in a period of only two to three years, said the scientists.
The University of Nottingham have said in an online statement on its website that the new material could be an off the shelf product for use in treating the brain, liver and heart.
Stem cells can be found in both adult and embryonic varieties. Each of these types of stem cells has unique properties that give out opportunities to be used in medicine. However, the embryonic stem cells are a lot more versatile than the adult cells.
If there will be stem cell factories in the future, the new technology will greatly benefit patients who suffer from brain, liver or heart conditions.
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